When you think of Valentine's Day you probably think of flowers, chocolates, and notes sealed with a kiss - not whipping women with dead animals or martyrdom.

When you've just started dating someone, Valentine's Day is more awkward than romantic. You don't know if you should plan a lavish night on the town, buy them a gift or simply ignore the day altogether. Here's what two dating and relationship experts recommend.

Love is a complex and powerful force, one that plays out in a number of emotional, cognitive and social ways. According to the late psychologist John Alan Lee, there are six broad styles of love: Agape, Ludus, Storge, Eros, Mania and Pragma. We look at each in turn to help you determine the type of lover you are and the type of lover you need.

Early on, relationships are easy. Everything is new and exciting. You go on dates, take trips, spend time together and intentionally cultivate experiences that allow your relationship to grow. But attaining 'happily ever after' is a lot trickier.

It’s days before Valentine’s Day and you’re still yet to buy a gift. Your schedule is jam-packed with meetings and the shops are closed by the time you finish work. Thank god (or maybe cupid?) for the internet.

The molten chocolate cake may have had its heyday in the 90s, but I'll be damned if I'm going to stop making and eating them. Maybe it's because they were the first "fancy" dessert I ever made in an attempt to impress another human, but I associate them pretty firmly with cliche romance, which is what makes them perfect for Valentine's Day.

So it’s finally happened. You’ve met someone great. They’re smart, they’re attractive, they have a job — and they’re perfect for your needlessly picky friend. We’ve all been there, you have one friend who’d be great for another and you’re positive they’d hit it off. But setting them up is easier said than done, unlike a rom-com meet-cute on a busy subway platform or at a wedding reception.

Even if you claim to not care about Valentine’s Day, it’s pretty hard to avoid thinking about it. Love gets shoved in your face everywhere you turn — so, perhaps it’s time to wander through the desert alone?

So you’ve decided to stay in this year and cook a nice Valentine’s Day dinner for your sweetie. There’s just one problem: You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. That’s OK! We’re here to help.

There is no such thing as a “girly” drink. There are sweet drinks, bitter drinks, fruity drinks and stiff drinks, but the gender of a drink will always be fluid. Even pink drinks (which the unimaginative are quick to label as “girly”) are just that — pink. Just as colour is not indicative of gender, it’s also fairly divorced from flavour.

Try as I might to act as though I am immune to the aggressively cloying nature of February 14, I actually kind of dig Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s because my particular brand of anxiety is soothed by a brightly coloured and visually uniform supermarket display, but it’s probably thanks to my love of chocolate.

Valentines Day is coming fast. And that means, for some of us at least, a night of romance and intimacy. If you and your special friend enjoy accessorising your love life, there are a stack of great deals you can tie down as we approach Valentines Day. Here are some killer discounts from Lovehoney - with products to suit every budget, size and gender.

During this first half of February, food-focused sites are awash in romantic meals for two but, in a lot of ways, eating with another person is overrated. Not only do you have to worry about stuff in your teeth, but you have to predict how the meal is going to make you feel (or smell). It’s a little exhausting, which is why eating alone on Valentine’s Day actually kind of rules.

They say true love never dies, but one could also say that about cockroaches. In fact, if a persistent, petty grudge were to take a corporeal form, it would most likely appear as a cockroach, which is why it makes perfect sense to name one after you ex this Valentine’s Day.

Breakups are hard and some can hurt more than others. Even after a long time the pain from a breakup can still feel raw and sting the soul. Whether it was your high school crush or long distance partner relationships can end up pretty messy. Just how and when the break up occurs though can have a lasting effect.

For many couples, Valentine's Day plans have a solid template: Go out for a romantic dinner, come home and have romantic and sexy sex. As long as you don't mind the societally mandated nature of the evening, it sounds pretty nice.

This Valentine's Day, you may have arranged a fancy meal for your loved one. You've budgeted for everything: A few appetisers, entreés and a stealthily split dessert. When you get to the restaurant, the lighting is just right, the music is soothing, and you're feeling pretty good about where the night may lead. And then the waiter brings you the wine menu.

Spotify, a service for turning your music listening habits into public content, analysed thousands of user playlists themed on love, sex, heartache or hating Valentine's Day, and made four Top 10 playlists of the most commonly featured songs.

In times past, it was pretty easy for an aspiring suitor to establish their culinary cred: simply take one’s Valentine down the road for the local version of surf 'n' turf and order a bottle of Lancers or Blue Nun to wash it down. Job done.

How times have changed. The interest in food TV has created a whole generation of home and wannabe restaurant Masterchefs. And wine has also been swept along: “natural”, “alternative” and biodynamic are les mots du jour.